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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

It's Czech Heritage Month in Texas

Happy October! Counties all over the state are once again proclaiming it Czech Heritage Month in Texas. This type of official recognition of the importance of Czech influence and history is always validating. However, it will never take the place of individuals and families prioritizing activities that support or actively pass on Texas-Czech traditions to their children. If the community wants to be recognizing anything other than history during this month in a generation or two, we members have to be deliberately and consistently making Texas-Czech traditions a part of our daily (or weekly or monthly) lives.

I challenge you to celebrate your Czech-ness this month by taking these words to heart. And, most importantly, remember that recognition and innate love of heritage starts at home... early. If you act like it's important, your children (and grandchildren, nieces, nephews) will, too. If you don't have children, support activities and attend events so that they continue for the whole community.

Here are some ideas:

Play tarok - find someone in your community to teach you. I'll help you!

Go to a polka dance, even if you sit on the sidelines visiting. Keep yourself up to date by subscribing to the fantastic PolkaBeat email list.

Patronize your local meat market or bakery.

Attend an event this month (a few highlights below.) Check out the calendar on Chris and Edita Rybak's website and there are others. If an audience doesn't show up, the church picnics, cultural festivals, and baking contests will stop happening.

Tune in to a polka radio show - they're all over Texas and on the internet, too.

Join your local Czech club, heritage, or genealogy society. I consistently hear from clubs statewide, "How do we get younger people involved?"

Enroll your children in Sokol, if they're interested in gymnastics. There are Sokol units in Corpus Christi, Houston, Dallas, West, and Ennis.

Recall those Czech phrases you learned as a kid - speaking a few words, a prayer, even cursing in Czech will help keep the culture alive a little longer. That's right, I'm advocating cursing in Czech, if that's what it takes.

AND...

... please help support the production of Texas Czechs: Rooted in Tradition, the multimedia, traveling exhibit that Lori Navar and I have been working on for a year. The exhibit will document and celebrate the traditions and activities of 21st century Texas Czechs.

We are in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign to raise $15,000 for the exhibit - the link is here. You can watch a fun, three-minute video about the traditions we're documenting and a synopsis of the project. PLEASE look at the campaign page - we promise you'll be inspired.

This exhibit is a labor of love for Lori and I; a legacy project, if you will. We want to inspire YOU. We hope the practical results of a successful 3-year tour of the exhibit will be: increased attendance at polka dances and church picnics; increased sales of poppyseeds and dried prunes around the state; more entries in tarok tournaments; schools having to add Czech classes because of demand. We're thinking big! Won't you help us?

all month Sts. Cyril and Methodius display at the Doherty Library at St. Thomas University, Houston

all month check out Czech displays at St. Louis School and Windsor Park Library in Austin

Did I miss an event? Please send me the information and link and I'll add it to my list and Tweet it.

The photos in this post are all from Czech events I've attended in the last month... Westfest in West, The Caldwell Kolache Festival, Victoria County Czech Heritage Festival, and the 50th Annual Slavic Heritage Festival in Houston.

1 comment:

Hello Dawn, just a confirmation" Can I count on you coming to Dallas, Saturday, June 28th afternoon and present your project to the teachers of Czech Schools all around the USA as well as officials from the Czech Republic?I am about to send an invitation I think it would be great for you to lt people know about all the work you have done. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Svačina (svah-chee-nah)

In Czech, svačina means snack. I'm calling this blog Svačina Project as a nod to my Czech roots, acknowledgment that the effort is a "snack" in my day (versus family = breakfast, full time job = lunch, sleeping = dinner) and to channel that feeling of sitting in my grandmother's kitchen in the afternoon having coffee and a kolach - visiting, laughing, and learning about the people I love.

Me and My Grandmother

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Support the Texas Czechs Exhibit

Donate to the travelling exhibit Texas Czechs: Rooted in Tradition through the nonprofit PolkaWorks.

Thank you / Moc vám děkuju!

A huge thank you to major supporters of Texas Czechs: Rooted in Tradition:Humanities TexasKJT (Catholic Union of Texas)KJZT (Catholic Family Fraternal of Texas)The Georgiou FamilyJim and Doris Orsak in loving memory of Frank and Irene OrsakVictoria County Czech Heritage SocietyDickson-Allen Foundation